Breaking new ground with the hybrid transistor

A unique integrated manufacturing process creates hybrid transistors that unite the low on-resistance of GaN HEMTs with the non-destructive breakdown of SiC diodes.

BY Akira Nakjima FROM THE National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Our planets temperature is on track to rise to levels that will have horrendous consequences for humanity. Due to this, it is critical that global carbon emissions fall fast. To succeed, we must act on many fronts, including adopting new approaches to the way that energy is created, distributed and used.

If we are to move to a greener society, we will need to change the way we produce and use most of our electricity. Such efforts will have to consider the electrical power converters that step up and down the voltage and transfer it from DC to AC or vice-versa – these are the ‘power bricks’, extensively employed in a number of electronic applications, including the power supplies in PCs, telecommunications, electric vehicles and aerospace applications. Trim the power losses in these converters and boost their efficiency, and this will lead to energy savings at the system level.